October 3, 2019

Botham Jean brother does not get us off the hook

https://karyncarlo.net/2019/10/03/dear-white-people-about-botham-jean-forgiveness-justice-and-cheap-grace/?fbclid=IwAR0AYUP59KQLPgdxD4KNlmgrrfU5PNQt2yMhsWuBVuFgv1Qr017O3nuCzAI

Justice, and Cheap Grace

Yesterday we watched the sentencing of a white woman, a former cop, convicted of murdering a black man named Botham Jean in his own apartment, unarmed, eating ice cream. She received the very minimal sentence of 10 years following which the brother of the murder victim gave her a big hug and said he forgave her. Many Christians applaud that hug saying it was an extraordinary act of grace on his part. Having never walked in his shoes I will not judge him. However as a white woman, also a former cop, and Christian theologian I will judge the way so many of us in the white community are so quick to applaud black people for forgiving white murderers. We did it following the Charleston nine and here we go again.

We are quick to point to the way in which Jesus forgave his own killers even as he suffered on the cross and we hold that up as the model for victims to adhere to today. But wait a minute. Is that fair? As we usually do with Bible stories we cast ourselves in the role of Jesus but really white people in the U.S. are the Romans in this story. We are the crucifiers not the crucified, the defenders of brutal empire who perhaps feel a little guilty at the scene of yet another lynching taking place in our name. As such we hear “father forgive them” as good news. Even though we have killed Jesus and brutalized his people we need not really fear hell. Even the victim himself does not hold us accountable. We are innocent. We did not know what we were doing. Good news right? Wrong.

Forgiveness without repentance is what theologian Dietrich Bonhoefer, quoting Adam Clayton Powell, called cheap grace. It lets us believe we are off the hook for our evil without demanding any real change on our part. In the case of the murder of Botham Jean cheap grace lets us white people maintain our sense of innocence and goodness without first facing up to the role we all play, knowingly or not, in maintaining systemic racism. In this case it allows us to avoid looking at the particularly brutal history of black men and white women. We don’t have to think about the thousands of lynchings, unjust crucifixions, that happened in our country due to black men being unjustly accused of raping white women. We don’t have to think about the way in which white women to this day are seen as fragile and innocent (particularly if they are or make themselves blond) while black men are perceived as threatening and dangerous even when they are in their own homes eating ice cream. In other words we do not need to see let alone repent of our sins. But is that the gospel? Is that grace?

I say no. Let’s look at the “father forgive them” scenario again. Jesus of Nazareth who lived as an oppressed Jew under Roman occupation is, like many before him, being crucified as an enemy of state. (Side note- All of you chomping at the bit to inform me that Jesus’s crucifixion/lynching was “not political” because he was “dying for our sins” need to hold off until you read some of my upcoming posts about the racist roots of Anselmian substitutionary atonement theory. All of you who likewise want to blame “the Jews” need a lesson in the history of Christian anti-Semitism. All of you who similarly want to say “we are all equally guilty as sinners regardless of race” need to read a history book. Have I covered all the loopholes? If not I will get back to them. Today we are talking history.) So Jesus has been persecuted by Romans all of his life for preaching good news for the impoverished and oppressed people of Rome now hangs on one of thousands of crosses (which Dr. James Cone rightly identified as lynching trees) designed to support Roman supremacy. Notice that in every one of the passion narratives he has very little to say to his oppressors. At this point he is done talking to them. Notice also that Jesus does not forgive them. He asks God to do so. Notice furthermore that he essentially writes them off as ignorant “for they know not what they do.”

Is that what we, as white citizens of a white supremacist nation want for ourselves? Will we be satisfied by a cheap grace that comes from being written off as ignorant? Will that restore the humanity we have lost to the false and demonic systems of racism and white supremacy? Will enforced (and it is enforced) forgiveness coming from black victims of racist violence be enough to save our souls?

I am going with no on this. I don’t know about you but I want more for myself. When I see a white woman, entrusted to “protect and serve” all people who nontheless harbored racist ideas as evidenced by her texts to co-workers, who illegally entered a black man’s castle, shot him in cold blood, told a nonsense story, played Goldilocks on the stand, and got away with the most minimum sentence, I want to do better than cling to the “but his brother forgave her bless his heart” defense.

I want to hold her and I both accountable, her for murder and me for whatever way I have, knowingly or not, contributed to the systemic racism that caused the murder. I reject cheap grace. I need justice to be done. I need the gift of true repentance for my own sins of racism. I need real soul salvation. I refuse to be written off as one of those who did not know what I was doing. I am better than that and so are you.

July 7, 2019

Title IX - Thank you, America

There is no way that American women would have come so far in soccer and all the international sports without Title IX.

The championships are great, but what Title IX has done for youth development ... character, competition, endurance, confidence, is immeasurable. America (Democrats) once again did the right thing in equalizing money spent on girls.

Now if only we would invest in public school academics with the same enthusiasm we might win the future.

June 27, 2019

Superficial observations

I react to voices and accents. I just do. Probably more so than looks. Can’t help it.

Julian Castro had a strong voice last night. Maybe the best for a big room, big crowd
Booker ... good sound
My guy, Inslee, has a gravely but strong voice. NW accent a bit Canadian-sounding to my ears, but definitely a voice that could be listened to for 8 years.
Elizabeth Warren ... decent voice, not powerful mixed southern and TV bland ... will hold up. Not her best attribute but so good at content, makes you want to listen

Klobuchar ... good voice/not too Minnesotan for the ears
Gabbard ... good voice little Canadian sounding

Does anyone else react positively or negatively to voices?

June 23, 2019

Paying online via PayPal versus credit card

Does anyone here have any opinions one way or the other whether PayPal is preferable to credit card payment when buying items on line?

Last few times I’ve made online payments, PayPal popped up as the first choice. One site (I forget what I was paying for)(flowers I think) was really pushing PayPal.

Is one method more secure than another? Any advantages to PayPal?

June 5, 2019

75 years ago my 20 year old dad was dropped in Normandy

He landed in the water and struggled to get the parachute off before he would drown or suffocate. He pulled it off, looked up, and witnessed his 21 year old lieutenant get shot in the head. My dad was next in command for his squad. Had to scamper around looking for his buddies.

His thoughts on hitting the water: “This is the stupidest thing.”

I learned that war was mostly stupid. And fought by children under the command of old men. And that far better men than my dad (according to him) were slaughtered. That the only thing that made war bearable was the Pax Americana, the Western democratic alliance, NATO, detente.

None of which could be taught to 45. As Mr. Khan told us before November 2016, 45 has sacrificed nothing; he cannot possibly understand loss.

RIP all those of 6/6/44. All 8 of Dad’s children know who you were and what you did.

April 30, 2019

Open primaries and democracy

I was stopped by my favorite petition guy outside courthouse. Over the years, I have signed many petitions that have become Florida law. One of the few benefits to living in the Sunshine state. This is direct democracy in action.

So I readily signed the petition for raising minimum wage ... too slow of a process but calls for COL increases once implemented.

I did not sign the one for open primaries. I lived in Georgia as a child and I remember the rat-f’g by Republicans that got us Lester Maddox as governor. The petition guy said it would be like the California system ... 2 candidates with most votes would square off.

I am interested in opinions here. Seems it would
1.allow independents to vote in primaries, thus increasing democratic participation
2.allow for party mischief as in voting for the worst candidate in the opposite party.

Please let me know what you think, especially those familiar with the California system.

April 21, 2019

The most disappointing thing in Mueller report so far?

Absolutely no delving into whether Russian hacking affected the vote. The report brushed aside the question of whether the Florida county that was infiltrated actually suffered real tampering of the votes. The matter is supposed to be under FBI investigation, which means we will never know. To me it’s criminal not to know, more than 2 years later.

Other disappointments ... Alfa bank connection, inability of the feds to read much of the Manafort communications because of encryption. I truly thought mueller knew all. So far, I’ve learned as much of more from News sources.

Pretty disappointed with first 100 pages.

While I’ve consoled myself with the ongoing SDNY investigations, it’s likely the SDNY will not indict Trump because of the same justice department policy of not indicting a sitting president.

The obstruction parts will probably be meatier. I think trump couldn’t get all the people who weren’t with him before he was president to lie for him.

April 20, 2019

Iran Contra and Watergate hearings - Correct me if I'm wrong

Didn’t these hearings start as just hearings?
Why can’t we hold hearings and see where everything leads? If they lead to impeachment so be it.

Need to line up the witnesses stat and fill the summer with testimony

April 14, 2019

How do I change from Undecided to Inslee?

March 13, 2019

Cranberries